Bottle-stopper.



PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

A. B. SMITH.

BOTTLE STOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. '17. 1904.

INS/.E'Z'UE.

2? TTUENZKS;

WIZ'JVEESEE.

UNTTED STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT OEEioE.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,936, dated June 20, 1905.

Application filed August 17, 1904. Serial N0.22l,122.

To all whom, it flea/y concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR R. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bottle-Stoppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to an improvement in bottle-stoppers, and more particularly to an improvement in detachably-secured mechanical bottle-stoppers.

In the well-known forms of mechanical bottle-stoppers as heretofore used on beer or similar bottles the sealing medium is soft rubber. In practice I find the use of rubber as a sealing medium is expensive and detrimental, as the odor of the rubber impregnates the liquid in the bottle. In other forms of bottle stoppers or closures using cork for the sealing medium the stopper, the cork in the stopper, or both are destroyed in unsealing or opening the bottle.

The object of my invention is to construct a mechanical bottle-stopper so that a disk of cork can be used as the sealing medium repeatedly or until worn out, when it can be easily renewed at a slight expense.

Further objects of my invention are to form an annular ledge in the mouth of the bottle and to detachably secure the stopper to the bottle, whereby the cork disk is forced onto the ledge in the mouth of the bottle under spring-tension and the cork disk only is in contact with the liquid in the bottle.

My invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction of a bottle-stopper using a cork disk under spring tension for the sealing medium, a bottle having an annular ledge in its mouth, and means for detachably securing the stopper to the bottle, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

Figure 1 is a vertical view of the neck and head of a bottle broken away from the body portion, showing my improved stopper in the closed position and the means for detachably securing the stopper to the neck of the bottle. Fig. 2 is a view looking at the left-hand side of Fig. 1, showing the stopper in the closed position in full lines and in the open position in broken lines. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the bottle and stopper, showing the stopper in the closed position. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the stopper, showing the stopper removed from the bottle; and Fig. 5 is a top view of the spring-washer used to exert a spring tension on the cork disk in the stopper.

In the drawings, a indicates my improved stopper, 6 the bottle-neck, and c the means for detachably securing the stopper to the bottle-neck. The stopper a consists of the cylindrical metal cap (0, having the top (L in which is the central hole a, theyertical stem (0*, having the transverse hole a in its upper end, and the disk a, secured to its inner end in the cap by riveting or other means, the spring-washer 6/, the fiat metal bearing-ring a and the thick cork disk (0, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4:. The stem (0* extends upward through the central hole a in the cap, and the spring-washer a is placed intermediate the disk a on the stem and the bearing-ring a on the cork disk at, which extends beyond the open end of the cap a. A coiled spring may be used in place of the spring-washer (0 if desired. The bottle 5 merges into the enlarged head 6, in the mouth of which is the annular ledge 6 formed by the enlarged annular recess 6 as shown in Fig. 8.

In applying my improved stopper to a bottle any means may be used for depressing the stem (4*, so as to compress the cork disk a onto the ledge and to hold the stopper in the mouth of the bottle. In the preferred form I use the well-known form of wire mechanism as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. This consists of the oppositely-disposed ears 0 c, secured to the neck of the bottle by the wire 0 the U-shaped wire operating-lever 0 having the eyes 0" c and the inwardly-bent ends 0 0", pivotally secured to-the ears 0 c, and the wire yoke 0', extending through the hole a in the stem 0" and having the downwardly-extending side arms 0 0 with the inwardly-bent ends 0 c pivotally secured to the eyes 0* c on the wire operating-lever.

In the operation of my improved bottlestopper the stopper a is placed in the annular recess 6 in the mouth of the bottle and'the wire operating-lever c depressed. This forces the stem 0/ inward against the tension of the spring-washer C6 ,Wl1iCl1, bearing on the ring a compresses the cork disk a on the ledge 72 in the bottle-mouth against the tension of the spring-washer and holds the stopper in the closed position. By raising the wire-operating lever the stopper is easily removed from the mouth of the bottle, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2.

It is evident that any suitable sealing medium could be used in place of cork, if desired, and that any mechanism could be used to secure the stopper in the mouth of the bottle without materially affecting the spirit of my invention.

' Having thus described my invention, I claim as'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent The combination of a stopper (0 consisting of a cylindrical cap 0/ having the top a with the hole a a stem (4 having the transverse hole a and the disk a secured to the inner end of the stem by riveting, a spring-Washer a a bearing-ring a and a cork disk (0 a bottle having the neck 6, the recess Z2 formed therein, the head 6, and the internal ledge 6 and a mechanism 0 for securing the stopper, consisting of the wire 0 having the ears 0 0, a wire lever 0 having the eyes 0 0*, and the in wardly-bent ends 0 c and a wire yoke c having the arms 0 with the inwardly-bent ends c 0 as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR R. SMITH.

Witnesses:

ADA E. HAGERTY, J. A. MILLER, Jr. 

